March 2009 Archives

Bulls forward John Salmons will not play tonight here at Indianapolis due to a groin injury. Salmons aggrivated the injury during the loss at Toronto Sunday and did not play after the third quarter.
Linton Johnson III, who spelled Salmons Sunday early, is no longer with the team. His second 10-day contract expired. Lindsey Hunter (flu) is also out. So the Bulls have nine healthy players vs. the Pacers

Derrick Rose still has pain in his right wrist but said he put up about 80 shots in the morning shoot-around and will go against the Miami Heat tonight at the United Center. Rose also received a shot for inflammation and is taking oral medication. Coach Vinny Del Negro decided to start Kirk Hinrich and bring Rose off the bench, but said Rose would be back starting when healthy.
Tim Thomas (back spasms) will not play. Tyrus Thomas (neck) will start.

After a couple of days of rest and treatment on his bruised right wrist, rookie Derrick Rose said following the Bulls' morning shootaround that he will play tonight against the Miami Heat at the United Center.

"I'm feeling better and I'm definitely playing," Rose said.

The wrist still is stiff and sore, but when trainer Fred Tedeschi left the decision of whether or not to up to Rose, the rookie immediately decided to play.

"When you're playing, the pain doesn't matter," he said. "You just go out there and play. This game is real important. We need this victory. It hurt me watching from the sidelines last game. I hadn't missed a game this year or last year in college."

Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro took a more cautious approach. "We'll see how Derrick feels before the game and then we'll make a decision," Del Negro said.

Rose suffered the injury Monday in Washington when he hit his wrist on the rim during a failed dunk attempt. His sat out Tuesday's game against the Detroit Pistons, the first game he has missed this season.

Kirk Hinrich, who had 24 points Tuesday, likely will make a second straight start at point guard, whether Rose plays or not.

Derrick Rose will not play tonight when the Bulls host the Detroit Pistons and may miss the home game Thursday vs. Miami. Rose has a severely bruised right wrist, which he also said is sprained. He was hurt Monday on a dunk in the second quarter of the win at Washington. Rose said he has been told to rest for two or three days. He said his wrist is so sore, he can't turn a door knob.
Rose had played in all 71 games before Tuesday.
Tim Thomas (back spasms) is also questionable.

Following two weeks of rest and low-impact workouts, Luol Deng's lower right leg is still bothering him and the forward doesn't appear any closer to returning than two weeks ago when the rest was prescribed.

"Luol wants to be out there as much as anybody, but injuries happen and we've had our share this year and this one's tough. We have to try to be smart about it and get him back as soon as we can."

Deng didn't accompany the team to Washington for the game with the Wizards tonight.

"He's back working out, just getting his pool work in and getting on the elliptical as much as he can and the treadmill and all that stuff," Del Negro said. "He still has some discomfort, so we'll just take it day-to-day and week-to-week and as soon he feels healthy and can get out there and get back in shape and get in the flow, he'll be out there.

"It's gonna take a little time."

Since there's only about three weeks left in the regular season, there's a chance Deng might not return this year.

"It could be," Del Negro said. "You just don't know how it's gonna react. I mean, we want to be smart about it, too. We don't want him to come back and really seriously injure himself. He's got some discomfort, some pain. Until he gets that worked out, he'll be on the sidelines."

The Bulls have created a website to promote Derrick Rose for Rookie of the Year. The site can be round at droseroy.com.
``In an impressive class of rookies, it's clear that Derrick has established himself as the cream of the crop," general manager John Paxson said in a statement Friday announcing the web site. ``And he'd be very deserving of Rookie of the Year honors."

Rose, the No. 1 pick in last June's draft, would be the Bulls' first Rookie of the Year winner since Elton Brand shared the 2000 award with Steve Francis. Michael Jordan won the award in 1985.

Rose is averaging 16.5 points and 6.2 assists in 36.8 minutes. The award is voted on by 120 members of the media and announced following the regular season.

Derrick Rose spent time after practice Monday modeling new shoes. Representatives from adidas, the company with which Rose signed a four-year endorsement deal, consulted with the Bulls rookie on style, fit, and comfort for a line of shoes which will be out in time for next season. This is not a Rose signature line of shoes, rather a line representing the adidas team of endorsers; including Chauncey Billups and Tim Duncan.
Rose said he hopes to have his own line someday.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- To give themselves another body for practice and insurance against further injury, the Bulls signed Linton Johnson to a 10-day contract today. Johnson participated in the team's shootaround this morning and will be in uniform tonight for the game against the Orlando Magic.

"I had him in Phoenix; a great kid, good-conditioned player," coach Vinny Del Negro said of Johnson. "We need another practice body, we need another guy just in case. He can play a little three, a little four. We'll go with our steady guys right now, and if I need an extra body, at least I have one."

This is Johnson's second stint with the Bulls. He played in 41 games during the 2003-04 season. The Chicago native is delighted to be back.

"It's unbelievable," he said. "It's like I was a fan at home and now they're paying me to play. It's just a great opportunity. I know we're in the eighth spot, so I'm just gonna bring energy and do what I can."

Since being let go by the Charlotte Bobcats earlier this season, Johnson has been living in the Chicago area keeping in shape in case another chance arose.

"Actually, I've been working out in the Berto Center," he said. "I get there like at 6 in the morning and then I'm there at 10 at night. Now they tell me since I'm on [the team] I can come during office hours."

MIAMI -- Neither guard Kirk Hinrich (bruised right quadriceps) or forward Tim Thomas (hyper-extended left knee) participated in this morning's shootaround. Whether they play tonight against the Miami Heat will be determined right before tip-off.

"They'll warm up before the game and see how loose they can get," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "If they can give us some minutes, they will."

Hinrich suffered the injury Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks when he was kneed by the Bucks' Richard Jefferson. Thomas missed two games with the injury before returning to play limited minutes against Milwaukee.

The Bulls are hoping Hinrich can play to help defend the Heat's Dwyane Wade, the NBA's leading scorer.

"I plan on playing," Hinrich said. "I'm just trying to get it loosened up, working on my range of motion."

"We'll get him as much therapy and as much work as he can do and tolerate and get him healthy as quick as possible."

Of course, Deng has been "day-to-day" for more than a week with an injury that has been termed a mild stress fracture or a contusion of the right tibia. The biggest concern right now is the injury doesn't seem to be improving despite aggressive treatment, which has included electric stimulation.

Deng was out of sight by the time the media was allowed onto the court following the shootaround, but a source said he was visibly down.

If the injury doesn't show improvement soon, the Bulls may have to consider another course of action. Surgery remains a possibility -- and that would mean Deng would miss the rest of the season, including any possible playoff games.

Luol Deng won't play again tonight when the Bulls host the Golden State Warriors at the United Center, but that is only part of the story.

After seeking a second opinion from a doctor outside of the organization, Deng underwent another MRI and a CT scan Wednesday morning and the tests were reviewed by Bulls physician Brian Cole.

About 45 minutes before game time, the Bulls release a vague statement updating Deng's status. According to the release, the tests on his right leg "indicate that this represents an early anterior tibia stress fracture." But the statement also went on to say, "All of the information to date points to some mild inflammation along his tibia, with a small irregularity within the cortical bone, with no obvious break in the inner or outer layer of bone."

It's tough to make sense of the medical jargon in the release, but the final two sentences of the two-paragraph statement make it clear that the Bulls' medical staff believes this is something that Deng can play through and that it shouldn't keep him sidelined for long.

"He will be encouraged to challenge himself physically, and if symptoms remain minimal, he will be allowed an expeditious return to play," the statement said. "These decisions will be made on a day-to-day basis."

Deng was injured Saturday night in a game against Houston. The Bulls feared he had a potentially season-ending stress fracture, but after an MRI on Sunday he was diagnosed with a contusion of the tibia.

Deng tested the leg before Tuesday's game in Charlotte and said, "Just pushing off on it I was feeling pain."

After general manager John Paxson said twice publicly in recent days that he's talked to coach Vinny Del Negro about playing rookie point guard Derrick Rose in the fourth quarter, Del Negro was asked to address the matter before the Bulls' game against the Charlotte Bobcats tonight.

"We talk almost every day, but I don't like to get into what me and John talk about," Del Negro said. "That's between us. I make decisions on the team in what I see fit for players, when they should play and when they don't. I know my players better than anybody.

"Derrick's gonna be out there in the fourth quarter and everyone is gonna be held accountable defensively. If I feel there's an advantage for us to do certain things in the fourth quarter, those are the decisions I have to make as the head coach and I'll make them."

After initially saying he would play tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats, Luol Deng was a late scratch with a bruised right tibia. Tim Thomas also is out with a hyper-extended left knee. Both are listed as day-to-day.

For several hours Saturday night into Sunday morning, the Bulls feared that Deng was lost for the rest of the season with a stress fracture of the right tibia. But an MRI revealed that the injury was only a bruise.

Luol Deng has a bruised right shin and not a stress fracture according to an MRI Sunday. X-rays taken Saturday indicated a stress fracture of the tibia, which could have kept Deng out for the remainder of the season. Both Deng and Tim Thomas (left quad strain) are day to day according to the Bulls.